It's Never Too Late To Start Over
by Myrddin Emris
Summary: They say when one door closes, another one opens, and maybe it's true. / A series of finding love in the middle of hopelessness and grief. i. Remus/Sirius ii. Teddy/Jamesii iii. Lily/Jamesi iv. Susan/Ernie
1. Every Cloud

_*Written for the Fanfiction Wizard Tournament, the Big Sis/Lil Sis Competition and the Weasley-Potter-Prewett Challenge: James Sirius Potter*_

**Every Cloud...**

_Meet me by the Great Lake at sunset._

_R_

You stare over the rippled surface of the Great Lake, you watch in envy as the Giant Squid's tentacles burst into his eyesight. The animal was so carefree, why couldn't you be?

'Sirius?' A familiar voice said from behind you.

'I didn't think you'd come,' you reply.

'Of course I'd come, I wrote the letter didn't I? Have more faith in me,' Remus said as he sat down next to you, his best friend.

'So, what did you want to say? I want to be alone.'

'That's exactly it!' shouted Remus. 'You're pushing yourself away from people who care about you, you're becoming so withdrawn. You're not forgotten, especially by James, Peter and I. We don't understand why. What happened over the summer?'

'I... nothing,' you shake your head and stare out towards the horizon. 'Ok, it's not nothing. Over the summer... Regulus became a Death Eater.'

A silence ensued, as Remus comprehended what you had just said.

'I thought you left home? Why do you care?'

'Why do I care?' you repeat. 'Because he's my brother Moony, of course I care. Though now... I don't know. It was a massive slap in the face to me Moony. I just...'

You break off the conversation and stare at Remus intently, you want him to reassure you, to tell you that everything will be ok.

'See that firefly Padfoot?' he said suddenly, as he pointed out over the Lake. You look at him incredulously, where was this tangent going? You look but only see the reflection of the setting sun, you shake your head. 'Just there,' he said as he grabs your hand and points it towards a faint speck nearly fifteen feet away.

'Ok, I see it but what's the point?'

'The point is that's it's becoming dark, but that's a source of light. You need to find a source of light to illuminate the darkness set in your life by Regulus, focus on it and maybe you'll see the darkness fade.'

'Have I ever told you how clever you are Moony, seriously mate, if you don't get straight O's in your N.E.W.T's I'll eat Merlin's hat,' you say as you clap him on the back. Really, where would you be without him?

'You make me blush Padfoot. You know what I think you need?' you shrug. 'A new family, and I think I know exactly who.'

You furrow your eyebrows. 'Who?'

'Me' he replied straight away, as he leant forwards and captured your lips. You kiss him back eagerly, maybe he is the source of light you need.

_*Written by AStitchedUpHeart using the prompts: pairing - Remus/Sirius and word - forgotten**_


	2. Mermen In The Sea

**This chapter has been entered in the If You Dare Challenge (650. Broken Heart) and The Legendary Creatures Competition (Sarama)**

**This has also been written for the Big/Lil'Sis Competition using the prompts _paring: Teddy/James Sirius, phrase: forgive me_ and _emotion: empty_**

**-Written by starlight (Rish)**

* * *

Teddy stared into the space blankly. He had loved Victoire. Hell, he had even been thinking of _proposing_ to her when she had broken the news to him.

The conversation still haunted him.

"_I'm not in love with you anymore, Teddy," Victoire told her shell-shocked ex-boyfriend. "I just can't keep pretending."_

"_You were in love with me yesterday!" Teddy exclaimed in incomprehension. "How exactly does that change in less than a day?"_

"_Teddy -"_

"_No, tell me Vic! How do you fall out of love in a few hours?"_

"_I don't even know if I was ever in love with you!" Victoire exclaimed, losing all semblance of calm._

_Silence._

_A look of horror passed over her face as she realised what she had said._

"_Oh Merlin, Teddy, I didn't mean that, I'm so sorry please forgive me -"_

"_Leave," Teddy said with forced calm._

"_What?"_

"_Just leave, Vic." All the anger had drained out of him, leaving Teddy feeling tired and empty._

That had been a few days ago, and Teddy still hadn't managed to bring himself to move on Victoire's words had shattered him.

But he was Teddy Lupin, and he wasn't one to stay depressed for long. He had soon realised that if that was the way Vic had felt, he deserved much, _much_ better than her.

He knew he had to move on, and yet all he could think about was Victoire Weasley.

"Teddy?"

He looked up sharply, only to see James standing in front of him. Relaxing, he patted the seat next to him on the sofa.

"Hey, Jamesie. Take a seat."

"Are you okay, Ted?" James asked as he sat down.

Teddy just looked at James incredulously.

"Sorry, sorry," James backtracked. "Stupid question, I know. I'm just worried about you."

"It's okay, Jamesie. Don't worry, I'm fine."

James looked at Teddy doubtfully. "It's okay if you're not fine, Ted. No one expects you to get over it immediately."

"I know," Teddy murmured. "But I already realised that I deserve better – sorry James, I know she's your cousin, but -"

"No, you're right," James interrupted, shaking his head. "You _do_ deserve better than her."

"Yeah, well, I know there's someone better for me out there. It's just that I can't bring myself to get off my arse and move on with life."

"Y'know, missing a relationship isn't something wrong, even if you've realised it wasn't right for you," James said, sounding much wiser than his fifteen years.

"I know that! It's just – I don't want to miss it!" Teddy exclaimed, sounding frustrated.

"I know that Teddy, but you need to give yourself time. You've been dating Vic for four years, and the two of you have been best friends for twenty-one years. You aren't going to get over the loss of your relationship and the change in your friendship immediately."

"You know what the worst thing is?" Teddy continued, pretending he hadn't heard James.

"What?"

"For as long as I can remember, I've been looking at men the way I should have been looking at her. Hell, I looked at her _brother_ more than I did her! But everyone expected us to get together, and I hated to disappoint them, and I think she felt the same way. I never meant to fall in love with her, but I still did. I know why she broke up with me, and even though it hurts, there's a part of me that knows why she said what she did. And yet, I just can't bring myself to forget it all."

"Teddy -" James broke off mid-statement, fiddling with his watch. "Sorry, I've got to go. Mum's calling."

"James, your mother is nowhere near here. How exactly do you know she's calling?" Teddy asked, sounding faintly amused.

"She charmed my watch to heat up whenever she wanted me home. It's got a tracking charm and a time-activated portkey on it too. She says I'm too much like her brothers to be left alone unsupervised," James confessed sheepishly.

Teddy's slight amusement was transformed into full-blown laughter. "Go on, then. I'll see you tomorrow."

James didn't move, looking at Teddy with a conflicted look on his face.

Before Teddy could ask what was worrying James, he leaned in and pecked the older boy on his lips.

"Just to remind you that when you do move on, there are plenty of mermen waiting for you in the sea," he whispered before disappearing into thin air.

Teddy looked at the spot James had been sitting in and let a faint smile spread across his features.

James was right – he _did_ need time to move on. But once he had…well, James Potter had better watch out. That little stunt meant that he would be the first merman Teddy was going to be fishing for.


	3. Perfect Smoke Rings

**This has been written for the Big/Lil'Sis Competition, using the prompts ****_pairing: Lily/James, word: friends_**** and ****_word: insanity._**

**Written by starlight . moon . princess (Rish)**

**This fic was also inspired by two of the photo prompts for the Canon Pairings Competition, one which depicted a full moon and the other with a torso of a woman with a cigarette in her hand.**

* * *

She watched the smoke rings float lazily towards the moon.

Who would have ever thought that Lily Evans, the perfect Head Girl would be sitting in the middle of the front lawn in the middle of the night, sneaking drags from a cigarette that was against school rules? And yet, the feel of the smoke in her lungs was the only thing that kept her from going insane over the events of the summer.

"You know, of all the people I thought I'd bump into here, you were the last one on my list."

"Go away, Potter," she said, recognising that voice without looking up.

"I don't think so, Lils," Potter said gently as he sat down next to her on the grass. "We're friends, aren't we? And friends don't leave someone alone when they're so obviously in need of company to prevent them from brooding."

"It doesn't concern you," Lily said bluntly. Maybe if she was rude enough, she'd get Potter to leave and she would be able to return to the cigarette and her thoughts.

"I'm sure," James said, pulling the fag from her fingers and stubbing it on the ground. "But I bet I'd be a better therapist than a box of smokes."

She debated being upset over James destruction of her cigarette, but decided it would take up too much of her energy.

"Petunia hates me," she said, deciding that arguing wasn't worth her time. The sooner James got what he wanted, the sooner he would leave her alone.

"Your sister? Why would she hate you?" James asked, perplexed by the notion of someone hating _Lily_.

"I'm magic, she's not. It's rather simple with her. I left her alone, and now she hates my very existence for that."

"That's a rather stupid reason."

"I know," she said, "but I can't help but wonder if magic was too much of a price to pay for my sister's love. Sometimes I think it would be better if I had been born a Muggle. I wouldn't know what I was missing that way, but – I had my sister's love for eleven years. Every time I see her now, I'm reminded of what I've lost."

James was silent, unable to think of a reply to that.

Lily sat in the moonlight and waited for James to say something, all the while wishing that she still had her cigarette.

"I'm not sure how to reply to that," James finally spoke. "But I can tell you that your sister is acting like a little child. It isn't your fault that you were born a witch, and she needs to get over her bitterness. If she hates you for something beyond your control, perhaps you're better off not having her in your life at all."

"Maybe you're right, James. But she's my sister, and I can't just stop loving her or wanting her to be a part of my life. How would you feel if it was you in my place, and Sirius hated you?"

"Well, I do know one thing," James said, standing up and pulling her up behind him. "Sitting here and brooding is going to do you no good at all. Now, we've got patrols to finish, so how about we return to the castle instead of haunting the grounds?"

"Thank you for letting me talk James," Lily said, letting herself be pulled behind James. "You were right, it was helpful."

James turned around and flashed Lily a mischievous smile. "So, any chance you'll go on a date with me next Hogsmeade weekend?" he asked cheekily.

"Don't get your hopes too high Potter," Lily said, returning his smile despite herself. "We've still got a long way to go until I even think about dating a prat like you."

"You wound me, Lils," James said, clutching his heart in mock pain. In a moment, he brightened. "Well, at least you agreed that you might go out with me. That's progress, isn't it?"

"Oh, shut up James!"

Maybe her life was anything but perfect. Maybe she had enough worries for a lifetime on her shoulders. But moments full of laughter like these were enough to make her forget the tears she had shed over her sister. Moments like these allowed her to glimpse the promise of perfection.

* * *

_Also for:_

_The If You Dare Challenge, Prompt 982. Paper Moon_

_Legendary Gods and Goddesses Competition, Susanoo no Mikoto_


	4. Of Grief And Love

_**Written for the Big Sis/Lil Sis Competition**_

**Of Grief And Love**

The attendees of Amelia Bones' funeral watched in a quiet sombre as the flames of her coffin spiralled up into the humid summer air. All of the respectable Pureblooded families were present: the Bones', the MacMillans, the McKinnons and the elder Weasleys. They watched as Susan stepped forward and held out an intricately carved candle, she placed it into the flames and waited until it had been lit.

'Mansurus lux,' she whispered. It flickered slightly but then returned as strong as it had been before. A slight sheen could now be seen surrounding the flame and it hardly wavered in the slight summer breeze.

Susan returned to her seat after leaving the candle levitating in front of the tufty-haired wizard who was taking the service. Tears fell from her eyes as she sat down next to her school friend Hannah. The latter placed a comforting arm around her and whispered soothing words into her ear. They both turned to the front and gave their attention to the an who was now talking.

'Here we come to the conclusion of the funeral for Amelia Bones, many of you have spoken in high regards about the former Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. It's time too remember all of the positives about her life, to remember she was loved by nearly all who knew her and to remember her work ethic and optimistic attitude. Let's remember Amelia Bones.'

'That was a beautiful service,' said Ernie into Susan's ear. 'Especially the candle, I've never seen that before.'

'It's what she would have wanted,' she replied with a sad smile. 'The spell translates to lasting light: it will never go out now.'

'Beautiful,' he repeated.

'I can't believe she's gone Ernie, she's pretty much the only family I had left. I don't have anyone now.'

'Of course you do.' He grabbed her hand. 'You've got all of your friends. Hannah, Justin, Megan, Wayne and me. Especially me. I'm here for you, always have been, always will be.'

'Thanks Ernie, I know you are,' Susan replied with earnest.

'I really mean it, I admire you so much for how strong you're being at the moment in this hard time. You inspire me, and I only hope that if I am in a similar situation, I have just as much strength as what you do.'

_*Written by AStitchedUpHeart using the prompts: item - candle and emotion - grief. Total word count:829 **_


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